Lenovo Y470 and Y570 Official Owners Thread

@shoeman6. The good/bad thing is that I have my own toy coming in about 2 weeks, so the double excitement is killing me.

I'll post some first impressions about build quality and the like. Because it's not mine, I'm not sure how much I'll be able to do, but I'll try.

 

DOES ANYONE HAVE A 3DMARK BENCHMARK OF THE Y470'S GT 550m?!?

The notebookcheck one is for the 2GB version of the GT 550m.

 

Hey,

Just received my Y470 i7 w/ Blu ray and 750Gb. Unboxed it, turned it on and ran 3DMark 11 with the Optimus on. All other settings at default factory.

3D Mark 11: 1117 overall score on 720p (988 for graphics) - pretty much same as the 2Gb on Notebookcheck...

So far it feels like a sturdy build and the JBL sound is really amazing - better than my old Toshiba which I bought specifically for the sound! Waiting for delivery of my MyDigitalSSD 64GB 50mm Bulletproof mSATA (Mini SATA PCI-e) SSD which I'm hoping will be compatible! Gonna put Win7 on the SSD and use the HDD for everything else. Not sure if I'll install the Rapid Drive drivers - have heard mixed things... Will post here if I can set up the SSD.

Update: Just noticed that the 3D Mark results say HD3000 as graphics card (not GT550m). Not sure if Optimus is working properly. Gonna try fiddle and do some more benchmarks.

 

has anyone found working updated drivers. for the 555m?

Nvidia's site tells me to get drivers from the laptop vendor and lenovo has yet to support the 570 in it's downloads section.

 

So I've been using the Y470 for about two hours now and I've noticed an issue with the touchpad - it seems to lag for about 1/3 of a second when I first start moving it. This probably happens about once per minute while browsing. Just enough to be annoying... I've tried to figure out what is triggering it - nothing clearly the culprit, although the touchpad also freezes while using the volume buttons - is anybody else having this issue? I'm hoping its just due to some of the bloatware, which I plan to get rid of soon.

PS - couldn't get any better 3DMark scores from fiddling with the settings. 3DMark still shows HD3000 as the graphics card though - need to try it on a game to see if its working.

 

I ordered a Y470 for my wife and a Y570 for myself. I personally opted for the 570 because of the GT 555m. She got the Blu-ray drive and GT 550m. We will mainly be using them for gaming (L4D and GW), web browsing and schoolwork. We do plan to hook them up to our HDTV's so we can watch movies from them. I went with the Core i5 models for both since they were only $679 thanks to coupons. I found the deal on Dealzon.com, supposedly expired 1 June but it may still be up.

Has anyone tested the "Graphics switch"? I know there was a post about the manuals contents but it hasn't be clarified, to my knowledge, unless I missed the post. I'm curious if it's turning the Nvidia cards on and off or simply activating the optimus driver. I'll be able to test it myself in a couple days when I get back home. Our laptops should be delivered today. I would just like to know beforehand. I already plan on adding the Hl.exe and Gw.exe to the whitelist but depending on how the switch works I may not have to.

 

ekokinex, when did you purchase your laptops? I purchased mine on 5/30 and it said 3 business days to ship the y470 and I am still in process, just curious to the length you had to wait for your order to be shipped. Thank you.

 

i bought an i5 Y570 with the same coupon as ekokinex on 5/28 and i am still "in process". my estimated ship date is this thursday. same thing with my friend who bought a y470 on 5/27.

ekokinex: the switch is for enabling optimus. i've never used optimus, but i've heard you can change the settings in optimus so that it always chooses the nvidia card.

 

anyone heard of any issue with CPU throttling? especially on the i7 quad core processor. Tried prime95 yet?

 

@kereta there should not be any issue with throttling.

Mine shipped a couple minutes ago, 3 days ahead of schedule! so I'm expecting it end of this week or next week, can't wait! (also, hoping this notebook doesn't turn out to be a dud!)

 

@ patriot They were purchased 5/26 and expected delivery is 6/7 they are currently in my city now according to UPS. They shipped on 1 June from China.

@blah thanks for the info.

 

oh hey, mine just shipped too! this will be my first laptop, so i'm pretty excited.

 

mine said ship within 3 business days, but then said estimated ship date of 6/13... but it shipped today. Hopefully I get it by Friday. Agree hope its not a dud, ive went through 2 HP's in 4 years so hopefully I have better build quality with the y470 compared to the DV3, I am not as heavy into gaming as you guys but still wanted something decent with dedicated graphics for when I want to so I just got the I5 version. Hope we get good ones.

 

@ekokinex

Will you receive your laptop today? IF you do, can you please post a review? I havent seen any official reviews at all. I will receive mine next week and im excited and hopefully it will live up to my expectations.

 

Haven't had much time with my brother's Y570, but this is what I can say from like an hour of use (had to help him decrapify the thing)

1. The screen is pretty nice. There's some bleed from the LED, especially at the bottom, but it shouldn't bother you unless you really need dark blacks.

2. Build quality seems solid

3. Speakers are AMAZING (had to test them after previous reports)

4. Battery life seems to be very good. Only got it down to 90%, but based on usage that far, the laptop was estimating 5.5 hours battery life on balanced.

5. Trackpad is a nice size. It's very textured, so hopefully you don't mind that. What I didn't really like is the one bottom rocker, but I'm sure that you can get used to that.

6. Keyboard felt nice.

 

Wooo! any software problems w/ gpu?

 

He's using it, so I haven't been able to check. He installed steam, so I guess I'll have him test out a game and see how it goes.

EDIT: Also, I have no idea what half of the crapware is on the Y570...I was unable to uninstall as much as usual.

 

I ordered the best Y570 model available in Canada (no rapid drive) and was planning on picking up the Witcher 2 to celebrate. Unfortunately I've been looking on forums for the game and the consensus seems to be that my machine won't be powerful enough to play it fluently. I'm not sure what to believe. Any one with an i7, gt 555m, Y570 (or similar spec laptop) have any experience with this game? Should I just forget about The Witcher 2?

 

@ gioellip My wife told me we received them but unfortunately I won't be able to test it for another two days. When I get a chance I will post a full review.

@ElBlufer, I'm interested in the performance of L4D and CSS, the 555m should be much more than enough for those games. If your brother has them/tests them I'd like to know the settings/performance. Also the purpose of the GPU switch, how the 555m is enabled and he prefers to enable the 555m.

 

Quick note on battery life - I'm getting at least 4 hours on energy star settings with lowest screen brightness while browsing, streaming music, word processing and copying files from an external HDD. Pretty happy with that!

 

i ordered y570 with i7 last week and right now quite worried that it has graphic card issues and such... and found out here that canadian versions have neither usb 3.0 nor hybrid hhd... sucks to be living in canada eh? ;(. Do you think it this would be a valid reason for full refund?

 

@Jpa11

They don't let you configure the Rapid Drive in Canada and I can't find anything on the site that states it has USB 3.0 for Canada, so I doubt they would give a full refund. That said, I wouldn't panic yet...I'm going to reserve judgement until I get mine. As I said in my other post, I'm not sure I'll be playing The Witcher 2 on it, but I have high hopes for my y570!

 

Weird...both 3DMark06 and 3DMark11 ran horribly because optimus didn't activate the GPU. My brother should be trying out games soon, I"ll keep you apprised.

 

Can you set optimus' option to always run off the GPU when plugged in? Would 3dMark work that way?

 

I tried, still used the integrated chip. He just started Mass Effect 1. Judging by the fact that it's running at ulta-high settings (even on an old game), it seems that it has switched over.

 

The Canadian site does link to a Y470 data sheet that lists USB 3.0, so you would have a valid complaint there.

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/ww/pdf/Y470_datasheet.pdf

Just curious, how you found out that there is no USB 3.0? Thanks.

 

I cannot be certain. It's something that I picked up surfing the web. If indeed it does not have an usb 3.0, I'm going to refund it.

 

Mine just arrived! I live in Canada:

Lenovo Y470
i7-2630qm
8GB RAM
500GB 7200rpm HDD
GT 550m
No Blu-ray
USB 3.0 yes

$820.

 

btw if anyone's interested, CAPECOUPONSCA32U coupon works for $150 discount. (worked on canadian)

 

Nice. Really looking forward to mine! Its nice to hear that build quality is solid. If you have more time to check out your brother's y570, we would appreciate it! Thanks!

Thanks Elblufer! Looking forward to your full review! Thanks again!

How was the gameplay of mass effect 1? How many fps on ultra high settings? Any problems on the drivers? What graphic driver does he use?

And finally, is your brother happy with his Y570? Thank you! Sorry for all the questions, though. Just really excited about this one. Thanks!

 

So I ordered my Lenovo Y570 on 5/30/11. The expecting shipping date was 6/9/11 and I was fine with that. Today I just checked and the expected shipping date is 6/30/11??????? Really?

That is just not cool

Anyone else have rediculous expected shipping dates?

 

I got the same thing. I may have to cancel since I wont be here...

 

Lenovo added driver support for the Y570. I tested the new drivers and my performance was halved. i got a max FPS of 21 in Bad company 2 and call of duty black ops froze on the menu's everytime.

I am disgusted with this laptop.

 

I wasn't monitoring FPS (I didn't exactly tell him that I was watching him game as a benchmark), but the framerate was definitely high. At least 30, but it could have been as high as 60. He's using the graphics driver that came installed on the laptop. It seems to run pretty well, beside the fact that it wouldn't switch graphics cards for 3DMark.

He's very happy with the laptop.

Have you tried reverting back to stock drivers? And, things like this are bound to happen when you're among the first to receive the product (unfortunately).

 

I went to a local Frys to take a look at a Y series. I'm thinking about getting a 470. I found a 560 there. I was somewhat taken aback by the 560"s lid. I touched it and the lid would wobble back and forth on it's hinges before settling down. Are the newer 470/570's like that or was the display model just subject to a lot of wear?

 

The Y570s lid feels very solid. That model probably just had a lot of wear and tear.

 

I am back to stock drivers. I know every product has it's bugs but I expected more of this laptop.

I guess there's nothing i can do but wait for better drivers.

 

Between this and reading that HP's dv6t quad editions moved to dynamic card switching instead of manual causing a bunch of problems i am stuck with my six year old dell laptop Xo

 

got my y470 today and im loving it

One thing im really upset is that using HWMonitor.. my battery came with 2% wear...

Battery is meh.. if you put everything to the lowest settings you can probably get 4.5 hours. otherwise balance youd get around 2.5-3 hours.

The keyboard is really smooth and typing feels natural, im just so used to a full 15.6 sized keyboard.

Speakers are amazing probably better than my old 32 lcd tv.

Over Satisfied with the purchase. BTW any know what that small slot on the bottom of the laptop is? I unscrewed it and it looked to be some sort of port maybe fore the rapid drive?? idk

If anyone has any questions just ask.

Oh and the trackpad is a lil wierd. its bumpy rather than smooth kinda like sony y series

 

hey unkk33

is the slot at the bottom of the laptop a Mini SATA PCI-e?

Would it fit a card like this?
Amazon.com: MyDigitalSSD 64GB 50mm Bulletproof mSATA (Mini SATA PCI-e) SSD - MDMS-5064: Electronics

I'm looking to put an SSD in there so please let me know. Thanks.

 

no problem with your optimus? i heard some notorious things about it

 

To be honest, mine just came in recently, and the lid DOES wobble if you poke it while it is open.



I am extremely happy with the laptop so far. I got the i7-2630qm, 8GB RAM, 500GB 7200rpm HDD with no blu-ray.

The keyboard feels great. Better than my old M1330, and you can't get food stuck under chiclet style keys.

CD Drive feels a bit flimsy, and if you grip the laptop on both sides, it seems to flex in a bit, but I think that is built on purpose so that the disc drive feels as loose as possible rather than stiff, which makes it harder to break.

Even the touchpad is an improvement; because of the textured surface, your finger does not get stuck on it from slight moisture when you would use a smooth pad.

Sound is AMAZING. Best sound quality I have heard from a laptop, ever. the JBL speakers really make the sound surround your ears, so it is not tinny.

USB 3.0 IS FAST.

SD card reader is a bit harder to reach as it is below the lip of the laptop; the keyboard side of the laptop gets narrower as you reach the bottom, so you need to use your fingernail/tip of your finger to push the SD card.

AC adapter plug on the laptop is slightly too big for the plug itself, and it jiggles while plugged in. This may be to reduce wear and tear by repeatedly plugging and removing the plug.

USB locations are slightly inconvenient, as the 2 USB 3.0 are right beside each other, and the USB 2.0 is right beside the power plug, so usb devices cannot be too large.



Performance is STAGGERING so far. I have only run Black Ops and Borderlands, but I was able to max out every setting (shadows, texture detail, AA, AF, res, etc) while still running a relatively smooth framerate (35-45 for Borderlands, 40-50 for Black Ops Zombies)

Optimus seems to know when to switch to the proper GPU, except for older games such as Starsiege Tribes, which it attempts to use Intel GMA that results in slightly laggy performance when turning.


Overall, I am very very pleased with this laptop. It's all that I could ask for in a relatively slim and light form.

 

@ruhtraeel, so you did not mess with the drivers/settings at all and kept to the stock?

 

How did you get that price? The Canadian Website lists $1099 now for that setup.

 

I am only able to get uppers 20's in blackops with full res. and most settins off. 0xaa 0xAF, what drivers are you running and did you do anything special to optimus settings or did you do anything special when you run the game?

 

@Rob2kx

Probably a coupon combined with the sale Lenovo had going. I got my y570 with everything they would add (no Rapid Drive) for $1030 tax included. I really couldn't say no at that price. I'm not sure how they can make money when they give you 33% off!

 

Could someone please comment on the heat of the Y470 and y570 and which processor they have?

I am guessing the i7 will produce significantly more heat. I do not want a computer that will require a laptop cooler for gaming. Also, I am guessing that the Y470 runs hotter because they probably could not fit as large of a fan, but the graphic card probably runs cooler, so maybe that makes up for it?

 

There was a coupon listed a couple pages back, but that didn't work. Does anyone know a coupon that would work with the Canadian website?

And I also would love to hear about the temperatures. I can't imagine this thing running too cool unless it has a huge fan.

 

Just a heads up, I did find that coupon. I believe you actually have to go to the Lenovo site from the link on this site and then use the coupon. This is for Canada:

Lenovo Canada Coupons, Coupon Codes, eCoupon, Promo Codes - eCoupons Canada

There's a $175 off the 470 and a couple similar ones for the 570

 

Hi, sorry this is my third post in a row...

Those coupons look like the expire on the 12th, so I'm thinking I might have to pull the trigger here, but first I was hoping to get some feedback from a y470 owner or 2:

1) How's the heat under load? Is it cooling well enough?

2) Are there any throttling issues such as the ones affecting the new Acer xx30 lineup (and a few other brands as well)

3) Will an mSATA drive work in here (such as the Intel 310 Soda Creek)?

4) Is the Nvidia 550M Overclockable? And has anyone had any success with it?

Thanks!

$924 with the coupon plus free delivery is just such a good deal here...